Skyline Trail (October 31, 2009)

Today we hiked the infamous Skyline Trail. Infamous to the Kenai Peninsula anyways. Skyline Trail is a 1 mile hike to the top of a mountain. Although 1 mile may not sound so bad, we had a 1,800 feet gain within that 1 mile. Let's just say it was more of a climb than a hike. In the first picture, you can see the mountain we hiked to in the background, it is the one in the middle. Once above tree line, we were hiking in snow. Although there was snow on the beginning half of the trail, the top half was definitely more abundant. The next three pictures are at the top of the trail. Once you reach the top, there is an orange tool box with a journal inside for those who make it to sign. Not only did we get to sign, but we took in a stunning view which is not visible by road.

Official Alaskan Drivers

Noon Visitor (October 25, 2009)

While standing in the doorway of our house today, a cow moose trotted across our driveway about 25 yards from where we stood. We spotted it a few seconds later on the road near our house.

Kenai River Trail (October 24, 2009)

The Kenai River Trail provided us with many opportunities to view smaller wildlife. There were many birds. We observed two types of chickadees, black-capped and chestnut backed, common mergansers, pine grosbeaks,spruce grouse, bald eagle, and scaups (a water bird that we have never seen or heard of before). We also got a very close look at a red squirrel, who seemed more curious about our presence then concerned. A few people out fishing the river, but otherwise very quiet and peaceful!

Hidden Creek Trail to Skilak Lake (October 17, 2009)

Saturday afternoon we went on a non-strenous hike after both of us continue to recover from our illnesses. It felt great to be out hiking again, especially after both of us missed some school within the past two weeks and spent days laying inside trying to get well. Hidden Creek Trail was a great choice for getting back into the swing of things. The trail is 2.6 miles round trip with a small decline down to Skilak Lake. Skilak Lake is a large lake for the area and is well know for having many hiking trails surrounding its perimeter. Many areas around Skilak are popping up with new vegetation after unplanned burns over the years. We hiked through such an area. There was a lot of bear scat, but no bears. The weather was beautiful. Temperature in the 40s with a lot of sun! Very atypical for an Alaskan fall.

Geocaching in AK! (October 17, 2009)

We sought and found 2 geocaches today, both walking distance from our house. These were our first geocaches in Alaska! For those who are unfamiliar with geocaching, it is basically a treasure hunt. Coordinates can be obtained from the official geocaching website which are then plugged into a GPS device. Geocaches take you to places that you may never go to otherwise. Our second geocache took us to a wooded area with a old Oldsmobile car, which appeared to have been sitting there for many years.

Salmon Egg Take at Bear Creek Near Seward

I (Jon) took my 5th and 6th graders to the Bear Creek Weir on Wed. October 14th. At the Weir, Alaska Fish and Game catch male and female salmon to take eggs and fertilize them so they can hatch safely in a hatchery and so they can show the process to educate the public. One Silver Salmon can produce between 3,000 and 3,500 eggs. Some Salmon do not come back to where they were hatched for 4-5 years. Once a salmon lays or fertilizes the eggs they die and feed many living organisms that rely on the food of the river. Here are some pictures from my classes' field trip.